1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method for coordinating inter-organizational information sharing, and particularly to a system and method for coordinating inter-organizational information sharing that constructs an information exchange center to exchange technology specifications, problems for production, and others via networks, so as to reduce required time for developing products.
2. Description of the Related Art
The progress for developing a product includes several stages, such as design, manufacture, test, peripheral application design, and others. Each manufacturing step of the progress is responsible to a respective company or organization, such as a department, and section. The conventionally manufacturing steps of the progress must run in sequence, therefore a product should be produced by following this sequence. For example, a product cannot be made until the product is designed, the product cannot be tested until the product is produced, and the peripheral applications cannot be designed except the product passes the test.
FIG. 1 shows the flow for developing an IC (Integrated Circuit) product conventionally. A technology specification (including layout) of the IC product is designed by an IC design house in step S100. Then, in step S110, the IC product is manufactured by a wafer foundry according to the technology specification after the technology specification is verified by the IC design house. Thereafter, in step S120, the IC product is packaged and tested by a packaging and testing agent. Finally, in step S130, the peripheral application for the IC product, such as the layout of PCB (Printed Circuit Board) is designed.
Since these manufacturing steps must run in sequence, the process is obvious a time-consuming way for product developments. For products of advanced technology, the series of development, consolidation deployment, and production is repeated in each of the manufacturing steps, so as to correct the design of products or to overcome problems in manufacturing. With the xe2x80x9cseriesxe2x80x9d characteristic of technology, the time for the products of advanced technology to market is delayed if conventional progress for developing products is employed.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a system and method for coordinating inter-organizational information sharing that constructs an information exchange center to real-time exchange technology specifications, problems for production, and others via networks. Works among organizations can be coordinated and proceeded simultaneously, problems can be solved as soon as possible, and the waiting time between organizations can be degraded.
To achieve the above objects, the present invention provides a system and method for coordinating inter-organizational information sharing. According to one embodiment of the invention, the system includes an information exchange center, a design organization, a production organization, a test organization, and an application design organization.
The design organization sends a design specification of a product to the information exchange center. The production organization manufactures the product according to the design specification specialized for the production organization stored in the information exchange center, and sends manufacturing problems occurring during manufactures to the information exchange center. The test organization tests the product manufactured by the production organization and then sends test problems occurring during testing procedures to the information exchange center.
In addition, the application design organization designs peripheral applications for the product according to the design specification specialized for the application design organization stored in the information exchange center even the product is not completely ready yet. After the product is manufactured and tested, the application design organization tests the peripheral applications with the product, and sends application test problems occurring during testing the peripheral applications with the product to the information exchange center.
The design organization may connect to the information exchange center to review the manufacturing problems, test problems, and application test problems so as to modify or redesign the design specification. The design organization, the production organization, the test organization, and the application design organization can access the problems stored in the information exchange center so that the efforts among organizations can be properly coordinated.
According to another embodiment of the invention, a method for coordinating inter-organizational information sharing is provided.
First, a design specification of a product is designed by a design organization, and the design specification is then sent to an information exchange center. Thereafter, the product is manufactured by a production organization according to the design specification specialized for the production organization and stored in the information exchange center, and all manufacturing problems arisen from manufacturing procedures are uploaded to the information exchange center. Thereafter, the product manufactured by the production organization is tested by a test organization, and test problems arisen from testing procedures are also delivered to the information exchange center.
Peripheral applications for the product are designed by an application design organization according to the design specification specialized for the application design organization and stored in the information exchange center even the product is not ready yet. After the product is manufactured and tested, the peripheral applications regarding the product are tested by the application design organization, and application test problems arisen from during testing the peripheral applications are uploaded to the information exchange center.
The manufacturing problems, test problems, and application test problems stored in the information exchange center can be accessed by the design organization to modify or redesign the design specification. The problems stored in the information exchange center can also be accessed by the design organization, the production organization, the test organization, and the application design organization so that the efforts among these organizations can be properly coordinated.